Shoebox Memorabilia — Local services in South Elgin

Shoebox memorabilia has been around for over 25 years. As a young teenager it was a great destination if your into sports cards and other memorabilia. However it was right around 1993 or so when the owner passed the business down to his son, what was a once charming and loveable memorabilia shop went downhill in a hurry. The owner is arrogant, pretentious and at times blatantly insulting. Don't bother bringing in cards you may have collected and carefully stored over the years he will most assuredly tell you something to the effect of "they're worthless" lost the appeal they once had, and most definitely 'not worth his time'" understandable I suppose since his time is spent basically sitting at his computer and insulting patrons as soon as they've left the shop and are out of hearing range. I've brought in rare rookie cards, limited inserts, and autographed memorabilia only to have him explain to me it's "garbage" and resorts to insinuating you should be ashamed of yourself for bringing your memorabilia within his presence. A peculiar side note is the cards he does display under glass cabinets in card holders are not exceptionally rare or valuable themselves. The sad truth is an obnoxious human being inherited the shop from his gracious father and if you were thinking of stopping there to ask about cards or memorabilia you will be subject to the most insulting experience possible. Avoid this shop...

The word that best describes Shoebox for me is nostalgia. The year was 1994 and the hobby was recovering from the junk wax era. I was new to the area but had been collecting for years. You’ll remember, if you’re close to my age, the magic of those early years and how confident we all were that Our Barry Bonds (RC) Ken Griffey Jr. (RC) and Billy Ripken (FF) would bring riches beyond belief. I was probably about 11 years old the first time I walked into Shoebox and was greeted by Jimmy and his dad. The store was magic and the packs endless. Hoops, Fleer, UpperDeck, Topps, Leaf, And Donruss… how do I choose? What I think about now is how nobody ever told me to scram. I’d stay there for an hour with $20 opening packs and bugging Jimmy to make a deal with whatever junk I just pulled. Honestly, Shoebox stoked the fire that was my interest in the hobby and have always been fair and the best priced around. Thank you Jimmy and I know your dad is very proud of the hard work you continue to put into the dream you both shared. Thanks for keeping the shop alive so other 40 year old men like me can step inside and feel like...

My love for cards has been reinvigorated after the first time I stepped into Shoebox.

Traveling as often as I do, and visiting numerous shops throughout the country, I have never been welcomed into a card shop the way Jim welcomed me to Shoebox. It like we are were already family.

Amazing. I just got back into collecting cards a few months ago, and one of the main reason I quit was because of some of the people in the industry.

Without a question Jim and Shoebox have THE best selection of Raw, Slabbed, and sealed product that I have seen at 3-4 different shops combined.

Everyone in the shop from the employees, customers, or just guys helping out were amazing, and I can’t wait to keep making my visits every time I get back into town now! I have finally found...